Terra 2014: Necron Tomb Awakens
by LeeTJenkins
Summary: Disturbed by mining in modern day Mongolia, the ancient underground Necron Tomb of the Jenko Dynasty is reactivated 20,000 years early. The initial revivification protocols complete, the Tombs rulers have been awoken from their stasis-crypts. We join them as Phaeron Malphus of the Jenko Dynasty approaches the Briefing Room to hold council with his Cypteks and Overlords.


The architecture and layout of the Tomb's primary briefing room of the Tomb was a monument to the art of social dynamics. The room was large, unnecessarily so, to make the individual small and the Dynasty big. The walls were adorned with tapestries made form a shimmering synthetic material laced with crystal tread and depicted the House's great and good engaged in hunting scenes, duels, exploratory expeditions and other great, and probably fictitious feats. Recessed into the dark marbled walls were data banks, holo-displays and myriad other controls relaying the status of the Tombs critical systems. Necrons, devoid of their now superfluous legs were hardwired into the machines and monitored the endless stream of data with a indegefatable vigilance only possible from a being stripped of all the weaknesses of flesh and soul. One section of the room was notably inactive; that devoted to the movements and engegments of the Dynasty's still entombed legions in the stasis-crypts.

Dominating the centre of the chamber was the briefing table, a dagger shaped slab of obsidian trimmed with a polished alloy and inlaid with the Jenko glyph in faintly glowing purple stone. In front of each chair was a display screen on a retractable arm that could be slung under the table when not in use so as not to interrupt the sleek lines of the blade design. The Phaeron sat at the hilt of the handle of the table, with the other attendees arrayed down the edges of the triangular blade shape. All attendees could easily see the head of the table, but had to turn awkwardly to view each other. The shape was hideously impractical for meetings, but how beautifully it served its purpose of keeping the Phaeron a figure of focus and distinction, while his Crypteks and Overlords were kept isolated and distrustful of one another.

The Phaeron was late. He always was. Partly this was due to his disregard for the concerns of others, and part was a deliberate piece of theatre to remind everybody that nothing of importance could start without him. The doors to the chamber slid sliently open and the clanks of a staff on stone heralded the arrival of Malphus the Shadow's Grasp and Phaeron of the Jenko Dynasty. The breast and shoulder plates of the Necrodermis armour were gold coloured and adorned with intricate designs, like the fingers of a dancing flame flowing as he passed under banks of light. The deep purple cloak was heavy enough not to billow, despite the brisk pace of Malphus's stride, and were attached to a high collar of silver so polished it was almost reflective. The assembled chiefs of the Tomb rose as Malphus neard his seat, and retook their seats only after Malphus had sat down and placed his staff in the purpose made slot on the floor next to the chair.

"I don't know about you, but I have a feeling we've over slept". Maplphus was fond of own wit. Polite tittering duitifly followed. Malphus allowed it to subside before continuing.

"So, where are we, and what is the condition of my Tomb?"

A Cryptek by the name of Abyzou swiped his display screen and rose. Before the bio-transference, Abyzou had been Colonel in the household guard of the Jenko Dynasty, and Chief Liaison with the military intelligence agencies of the Necrontyr high command. Bowing to his Phaeron, Abyzou turned to the gently rotating holographic display that had appeared over the table, showing a cross section of the Tomb, with sections and levels showing purple bars of various heights to indicate the percentage of that section's systems activated.

"Your Excellency, analysis of the systems is ongoing, but early inductions are that the Revivification process has been merciful. Some numbers of Warriors and a clutch of Immortals have malfunctioned beyond repair, but they can at least be used for spare parts. We're still running through the protocol test templates for the larger formations, but with a few remedial tweaks all should be in order.

In accordance with the Primary Awakeners procedure, the Spyders were first, with Scarabs being animated soon after. With no intruders in the Tomb, and the core systems functioning, the Raider Force was initiated, however that's where we ran into… variables."

Malphus figited. "Continue".

"Through tectonic shifts or landslides, the Tomb is buried under the surface of the world. We are not so deep that we cannot move, however, and the master control program deigned it prudent to take advantage of this seclusion. We remain underground, but Scarabs have bored through and carried and cleared space for our sensor arrays to reach the surface."

Abyzou was interrupted by Focalr, a Necron Lord who had been a overseen a swath of corrupt or compliant officials before the bio-transference. "Has a Raider Force been readied?"

Abyzou snapped his head to glare at Focalr

"Had I not been interrupted by pen-pusher, I was just about the come onto that."

Focalr bristled, and though Malphus had long since ceased to form facial expressions, inwardly he smirked at the petty bickering.

Abyzou continued "…once our sensor arrays were deployed and calibrated to this world's electromagnetic background interference, we were flooded with data and transmissions. Detachements of Necron Warriors were allocated as standby Raider Forces while the information was disseminated and analysed. But as you will here, they weren't needed." At the mention of Raider Forces, Abyzou cut Focalr a glance who pretended not to notice.

"I shall allow Phenex to take the briefing from here."

A second Cryptek rose as the holo-display changed to show the swirling mass of the Milky Way, with a purple glyph to the south west of the galactic core. Phenex was the only true Cryptek in the Royal Court, being a member of the Jenko Dynsaty to devoted himself to scidence rather than business or back-stabbing. Phenex had gleefully embraced bio-transference as a blessed release from his cancer ravaged body.

"Based on our astral mapping and allowing for the movement of the stars during the Great Sleep, we are in a solar system of seven worlds, with our Tomb on the third closest planet to the yellow sun, which is itself orbited by a single moon." The display zoomed into the blue planet, with whispy clouds covering swaths of green and yellow surface, and white sheets of ice on the extremities.

"The image you see is from a probe launched at the same time the sensor arrays were deployed. The surface of the world is dominated by greater and a lesser continental masses, with island continent to the south, and polar regions north and south. Our tomb is here, to the north east of the greater continental mass, in a region of plains spattered with modest hills. From our chronometer, we have also ascertained that we have awoken some twenty thousand years early."

Muttering enveloped the table, some excited, some cautious. It was broken by Naberus, an Overlord and relative and close confidant of Malphus. "How was this allowed to happen? Abyzou was confident the systems had performed as designed. What went wrong?"

"Nothing has gone wrong" replied Phenex, "Quite the opposite. We were awoken early because of the Tomb's systems detected a threat and escalated the revivification process. This planet is inhabited, and inhabited by beings sufficiently advanced to mechanically drill into the earth to extract minerals. The Tomb detected these vibrations and, when combined with the information form the external sensors, acted accordingly."

Malphus leaded forwards. "What do we know of the inhabitants? Has the government of this world become aware of us?"

"From intercepting their communications, we know much, sire, hence the Raiders being an unnecessary risk. The dominant species of this planet are bi-ped mammals, not dissimilar to our own previous incarnation. As mentioned, they are moderately advanced, but levels of technological maturity vary across the planet. There is no single government that we can see, with the inhabitants instead preferring to reside in territorially defined factions and communities."

"City states?" enquired a Necron Lord.

"No so, my Lord. Although most inhabitants live in urban conurbations, the size of the factions varies considerably. For example one of larger factions is on in the northern half of the lesser continental land mass, and is some 36 times larger than the a faction based on islands off the north west coast of the greater continental land mass, though the former has only 5 times the population of the latter. Further, some islands form independent factions, while others are governed from territories many thousands of miles away."

Malphus gazed at the orb of his new Tomb world, now overlaid with the seemingly random lines outlining the limits of a faction's authority, lines soon to be erased as the world was unified under his rule. "Perplexing, Phenex. What have we leaned of culture and governance of these factions? How quickly will they be brought to heel?"

"The inhabitants of the planet have not yet even settled on a single language, though some dialects are more commonly used than others. Though clearly capable of cooperation, something in their character keeps them in a permanent state of hostility and suspicion with other factions. An added complicating factor is their predilection for religion and political ideas, the adherents of whom can come from a various factions and hold their loyalty to an idea or faith in greater regard to their territorial faction. The governments of the factions is similarly myriad. Most faction's leaderships demand tribute or tithe from the population of their area, and in return provide various levels of security, infrastructure and amenities. A proportion of the tithe is devoted to financing warrior formations and equipment, so as to make war on rival factions. Some governments are formed by letting the populus periodically decide who among themselves shall be temporarily in charge. Although popular, we imagine this hampers long term planning. Others have an established ruling group who govern until ousted by others in the same group. This is often done forcefully and with much bloodshed. Thankfully there are pockets of civilisation where the ordered and predictable patterns of hereditary rule flourish."

"Their deaths shall be quick and painless." Leered Toyol, an Overlord who had been one of the most brutal of the Jenko Dynasty's enforcers.

"Quite" agreed Malphus. "Now, what of their military capabilities? How long is this going to take?"

Phenex looked to Abyzou, as if pleading not to be the bearer of bad news. Abyzou knew this was coming and took advantage of the table shape, looking up at the globe and not at Phenex. Malphus drummed the table with his fingers, a cold skittering noise of metal on stone. Phenex mentally sighed and continued.

"The proximity of rival factions, and their perpetual distrust and frequent conflicts has forced the inhabitants to be constantly preparing for war, even those surrounded by allies. Although disunited, the world is bristling with weapons and warriors trained and experienced in their use. The most personal weapon is roughly equivalent in size to a Gauss blaster, but relies on projectiles and kinetic energy to fell and adversary. We don't know how a Necrodermis frame will react to these projectiles. The inhabitants are also possessed of armoured vehicles that fire explosive tipped projectiles over long ranges, though numbers and quality vary dramatically across the world. Most factions operate fixed wing and rotary vertical take off aircraft, though only a handful of the most powerful factions have equipped these with anything approaching targeting systems worthy of the name."

Focalr was incredulous. "Pah, this is nothing, Abyzou. The Great Sleep has softened you. We extinguished the Old Ones, shattered the C'Tan to the winds, and had the Eldar reeling. These primitives have numbers, but you're assuming they'll all fight. A show of force, the likes of which we can unleash will humble and cower ninety percent at a stroke. The rest can be brushed aside in an afternoon." Several heads bobbed in agreement, allowing Focalr to regain some of the lost face from earlier.

"There is more." Phenex continued, "we believe seven of the principle factions possess nuclear weapons."

"You _belive_?" Malphus asked, tilting his head to one side, the light to glinting off his collar.

"Yes sire, baffling as it seems, even the inhabitants aren't agreed on how many factions posses these weapons. Some have entirely civilian nuclear power programs while some are accused by others of using energy generation as a cover for weapons manufacture. Still others refuse to confirm or deny their nuclear status. Though we could weather the effects of a nuclear assault, the world could be rendered a barren husk if an attack on us sparked a global conflagration. The factions known to be in possession of nuclear weapons have a defence posture designed to interpret the launching of a rival nuclear weapon as an attack, and so launch its own in response."

"No" said Malphus wearily "I want the resources of the world, including its inhabitants as chattel. We have emerged with a twenty thousand year head start on the other Dynasties. Providence has laid its hand on my shoulder and deigned that the Jenko Dynasty ascend to mastery of the galaxy." Malphus was standing now, looking at the tapestries and seemingly now talking to himself. "Our forces are potent but small. Billions of warriors and countless tools of war lay dormant in stasis-crypts while their masters sleep. With this world as a bountiful foundry, I shall seize these forces and forever silence the Phaerons while they slumber!"


End file.
